Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to communications networks and more particularly to providing support for a variety of media types across different platform types.
The term convergence is commonly used to describe the coming together or combining of two or more disparate disciplines or technologies. One well known example of convergence in telecommunications is Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) which combines voice communications with data networks. Other examples of convergence have included providing the ability to access types of content or data from a device not normally associate with that type of content or data. For example, many cellular telephones today allow a user to access information other than simply making phone calls such as allowing the user to read and send emails.
Further convergence, particularly in telecommunications, has been much discussed but slow in developing. One reason true convergence between different types of platforms, devices, media types, etc has been slow in developing is that there has been no common way to interface a number of different types of devices, services, media types, etc. As with the cell phone example discussed above, convergence efforts have been limited to combinations of services provided by one service provider. Furthermore, addition or expansion of services is generally difficult and expensive, requiring extensive modifications to underlying hardware and software to provide the additional services. There has not been a common way to transparently combine services offered by different service providers and make these different services, offering different media types, available to a wide range of end devices and/or platforms.
Hence, there is a need for methods and systems that allow for more transparent combinations or convergence of different devices, services, media types, etc.